Spending time outside is more important to people than ever before. As a result, many homeowners are looking for ways that they can take their outdoor living areas to the next level. Adding a pavilion or pergola can be one such addition that could greatly enhance your space.
If you’re considering one of these structures you might be looking for pavilion or pergola design ideas. We’ve rounded up a bunch along with pictures of pavilions and pergolas to help get you dreaming.
Pavilion Design Ideas
When it comes to having a comfortable place to gather with family and friends, nothing quite beats the addition of a pavilion. With a roof overhead, this structure provides some shelter from the outdoor elements and can easily be made warm and cozy with the addition of a fire feature or heating element.
Here are some of our best pavilion design ideas along with pictures of pavilions that you might want to add to your vision board.
Add an Outdoor Fireplace
The addition of an outdoor fireplace to your pavilion can easily become a showpiece that adds visual appeal. But it also serves the functional purpose of adding heat. This can help make your pavilion a comfortable gathering space even during the colder months. Imagine lounging on a couch in front of the fire enjoying a glass of wine even as snow or rain falls around you.
Consider Additional Heat
As we mentioned, you might also consider other forms of heat such as overhead infrared heaters or gas-powered heat lamps. The latter has become sleeker and more aesthetically appealing than ever before and can help add additional heat so that you can enjoy your outdoor space to the max.
Additional heat elements can be added along with a fireplace or as their own addition. If you’re serious about spending as much time in your outdoor pavilion as possible, then some sort of heat source is a must-have. Keep in mind that even some summer nights here in Northern Virginia can get chilly. But heating up your space will keep you and your family and friends outdoors in comfort.
Incorporate a Finished Ceiling
A pavilion with a finished ceiling allows for exciting additions such as mounted ceiling fans or even adding recessed lighting. These features can help make your pavilion even more usable. Great lighting will keep the party going, well after dark. And ceiling fans help move air around and even keep bugs away!
But a finished ceiling also helps your pavilion to truly look and function more like an outdoor “room.” With people wanting to spend more time outdoors and feel like they’ve “escaped” their home, this is a great way to achieve that. 
Add an Outdoor Kitchen
When it comes to maximizing time outside, the addition of an outdoor kitchen to your pavilion can really take things to a whole new level! Now you can enjoy cooking and dining outdoors, no matter what the weather. With a full kitchen, there’s no walking back and forth from the house! You can have everything that you need to prepare and meal in your outdoor kitchen and then even eat it there, too.
Any feature that can be found in an indoor kitchen can be incorporated into your outdoor kitchen. This includes a refrigerator, freezer, ice maker, dishwasher, sink, cabinetry for storage, and so much more. Of course, you’ll also want to incorporate a grill into built-in countertops for prepping and cooking meals.
Install Outdoor Televisions
With the addition of one or more outdoor televisions to your pavilion, you can really enhance the entertainment factor. Now you can be outdoors watching the game or maybe the kids can gather and watch a movie.
If you have a larger pavilion with multiple areas, such as a bar and a lounge zone, you might even consider adding a television in each place. Maybe the parents want to watch the game while gathering at the bar but the kids want to hang out at the fireplace. You can create something for everyone.
Attach it to Your Home
Any pergola or pavilion helps you to make your outdoor living area an “extension of the home.” However, some people like the idea of having this additional space physically attached to the home, making it feel even more like an outdoor extension of the house itself.
While we might call this more of a “covered deck,” it’s still a pavilion and really maximizes your use of that space. A deck is an awesome addition but it can’t get used during inclement weather unless you add a roof. A pavilion does just that! Now you can find yourself lounging on the deck no matter what the weather.
Pergola Design Ideas
Unlike a pavilion, which is fully covered, a pergola has an open roof, allowing you to see the beams above. For many homeowners, a pergola makes more of an architectural statement and they specifically choose it for its aesthetic appeal.
Here are some pictures and pergolas and some ideas that you might want to consider if this is the structure you’re considering.
Add an Outdoor Kitchen
Just like with a pavilion, you can incorporate an outdoor kitchen underneath your pergola or nearby. One of the nice benefits of the pergola is that it’s going to cast some great shade so that you don’t have to be roasting while cooking dinner on the grill! But it’s also going to provide you with filtered light that still lets you enjoy the sun (in a much more comfortable way!).
Consider the Pergola Material
If you were to purchase an inexpensive pergola kit (which frankly, some landscape contractors do utilize), you’re probably going to get something made of PVC. But we want homeowners to know that their possibilities do not have to be limited in the material choices available to them.
At Rock Water Farm, we are custom designing and building our pergolas so that they are truly one-of-a-kind. These are made from high-quality materials, Timber frame is one that we use often because of the gorgeous appeal of real wood.
Add Lighting
You can make your pergola even more beautiful with the addition of lighting. Some homeowners want string lighting on their pergola for that finishing touch that really makes it look magical at night. But we can also install built-in lights within the pergola itself if that’s something that you’re interested in.
Combine a Pergola and Pavilion
Of course, there’s no rule that you have to have one or the other. If you really appreciate a pergola for its natural beams, the way it casts unique shadows, and the architectural appeal it can add—but you want the functionality of a pavilion—you could incorporate both into your space and have the best of both worlds.
Make Your Pavilion and Pergola Design Ideas a Reality
Whether you know that you want to add a pergola or pavilion, or you’re still deciding between the two, you might be in need of some guidance. It’s important that you find a company that is going to take your landscape design seriously.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of landscaping companies out there that claim to build pergolas and pavilions but oftentimes they’re working from a kit and just plopping something in your backyard. That’s certainly not what you’re looking for. You want a pergola or pavilion that will stand the test of time while also exuding that unique and custom feel that you’re seeking.
At Rock Water Farm, we are designing and building your entire outdoor living area from scratch—including your pergola or pavilion. Whether you’re adding it to a pool area as a place to lounge or you’re just looking for one of these structures that you can start spending more time outside, we’re going to design something custom that’s just right for you and your property.
We’re going to think about every possible detail that could impact your use and enjoyment of that structure (and outdoor area as a whole) including prevailing winds, sun exposure, views, how the structure fits into the landscape as a whole, and so much more. Once you choose to make your pergola or pavilion design ideas a reality, you should be able to feel confident that you’re going to end up with a finished project that meets (and exceeds) your wants and needs.
At the end of the day, we believe you deserve to end up with an overall finished project that fits your dream. Whether it’s a pergola or a pavilion, you’re investing a lot of money and you want to know it’s going to be worth it.
When you choose wisely and hire a company that’s ready to provide unique and fully customized solutions, you’ll know without a doubt that your outdoor living dreams really will come true.
Are you ready to find a design/build landscape contractor in Northern VA that can take your pavilion or pergola ideas and make them a reality? If so, talk to an expert, choose a solution that rocks, and get ready to see those dreams start to take shape.
